Launch titles skip online pass requirement - but is that down to Nintendo?

An Online Pass is not required to access the online components of FIFA 13, Mass Effect 3 or Assassin's Creed 3 on Wii U, VideoGamer.com can confirm.

Instead, all users - second-hand buyers included - will be able to access the games' online multiplayer options straight out the box.

Players will simply be required to log in to their Origin/Uplay accounts in order to compete online.

The decision to skip the Online Pass requirement comes as a surprise. An Online Pass is required to access the online component in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of each game.

The games join Tekken Tag Tournament 2, which again, unlike the 360 and PS3 versions, does not require an Online Pass to scrap online.

It is not yet known whether publishers will eventually introduce Online Pass systems to Wii U, why they aren't required for the launch titles, or, of course, whether Nintendo itself has blocked the initiative altogether.

Online Passes were introduced by publishers to counter revenue lost by second-hand sales. The scheme typically restricts access to particular content to those who have bought a new copy of the game, or purchased an Online Pass separately.

VideoGamer.com has contacted EA and Ubisoft to ask why an Online Pass is not required for the Wii U versions of their titles.